This invention relates generally to plant supporting structures and more particularly to stands for supporting and displaying plants such as Christmas trees.
Stands for supporting and displaying Christmas trees have been available for many years. Examples of such prior art Christmas tree stands are illustrated in:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor Issue Date ______________________________________ 4,569,151 Hoffbeck February 11, 1986 4,381,621 Eby May 3, 1983 4,307,540 Reisner December 29, 1981 3,119,585 Austenson January 28, 1964 2,904,292 Cloutheir September 15, 1959 2,502,040 Franklin March 28, 1950 2,617,617 Krastel et al. November 11, 1952 2,455,404 Brown et al. December 7, 1948 1,463,734 Ullrich July 31, 1923 ______________________________________
One type of tree stand, examples of which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,455,404; 2,502,040 and 2,617,617 engage the tree trunk relatively close to the butt of the tree which is substantially below the center of mass of the tree. Moreover, the support area of the base on which the tree is carried is relatively small as compared to the diameter of the foliage of the tree. Such an arrangement is inherently unstable resulting the tree being easily tipped over. This condition may be further aggravated by the trunk having grown crooked or by foliage that is not distributed evenly about the trunk. Also, the branches adjacent the lower end of the tree usually had to be removed to provide the necessary clear area of the trunk to be engaged by the tree stand.
Other types of stands have extended the point of attachment of the stand to the up the tree trunk by extending one or more support members up from the base immediately adjacent the tree trunk. Such stands are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,463,734 and 3,119,585. The location of the support members made it difficult to find locations adjacent the tree trunk through the branches for the support members to pass without adversely affecting the overall shape of the tree.
Another type of stand, such as those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,904,292; 4,307,540 and 4,381,621, uses a support member which is displaced horizontally from the trunk of the tree and attached to the tree trunk through a horizontal member. Under the influence of the tree weight acting on the tree, the tree may tend to rotate about the vertical member toward a less stable condition. Also, where the trunk attaching means is attached rigidly about the trunk the ability of the tree to reach a point of free body equilibrium of the forces acting through its center of mass is prevented.